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Congratulations to Dr. Jacqueline Flores of the Institute, whose research on retinoblastoma is described in an article in Medicina y Salud Publica!  

The Institute co-sponsored a ceremony held on December 2, 2016 to commemorate the 25th Puerto Rico Neuroscience Conference and to recognize its founders - Dr. Richard Orkand (Institute of Neurobiology), and Drs. Vesna Etrovic, Pedro Ferchmin, and Richard Hann (Universidad Central del Caribe). Photo: Drs. José G. Ortíz, Gladys Escalona and Carlos Jiménez shared memories of early meetings. Thanks to Drs. Carmen Maldonado and José Enrique García-Arrarás for organizing this activity.

The Institute of Neurobiology hosted the 5th Annual Retreat and Assessment Activity of the Puerto Rico Center for Environmental Neuroscience (October 13-14, 2016).  This NSF sponsored Center for Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) program provides research and training opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students from the Rio Piedras Campus and the Medical Sciences Campus. 

Congratulations to Dr. Cristina Velazquez-Marrero and the outstanding team of Institute researchers and students who recently published their work in the Journal of Neuroscience: "Alcohol Regulates BK Surface Expression via Wnt/Beta-Catenin Signaling", by Cristina Velazquez-Marrero, Alexandra Burgos, José O. García, Stephanie Palacio, Hector G. Marrero, Alexandra Bernardo, Juliana Perez-Laspiur, Marla Rivera-Oliver, Garrett Seale and Steven N. Treistman.

The first PIRE Neural Mechanisms of Reward & Decision Annual Retreat and Assessment Activity was held on September 2-3, 2016.  It was attended by our External Advisory Committee: Dr. Marina Wolf (Rosalind Franklin University), Dr. Jesus Angulo (Hunter College, CCNY), and Dr. Rhanor Gillette (University of Illinois).  PIRE students reported their scientific accomplishments and cultural experiences with oral presentations and posters.  Thanks to everyone who contributed to this important activity.  

Congratulations to the Rosenthal lab for their new publication in the prestigious journal Nucleic Acids Research. Dr. María Fernanda Montiel-González and Isabel Vallecillo-Viejo were co-first authors on the article: An efficient system for selectively altering genetic information within mRNAs. ¡ Enhorabuena !

A paper by Francheska Delgado-Peraza, Carlos Nogueras-Ortiz and Guillermo Yudowski, “Mechanisms of Biased β-Arrestin-Mediated Signaling Downstream from the Cannabinoid 1 Receptor” was in the top 10 viewed articles for April in the journal Molecular Pharmacology!

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Institute personnel received three Occupational Safety and Health training sessions on June 9, 2016: Institutional Chemical Hygeine, HAZCOM 2012 - Global Harmonization System, and Storage and Disposal of Dangerous Chemical Waste.  Yolanda Rodrígues, M.S.

In this photo, first author Francheska Delgado-Peraza models recent advances in protective labwear. Congratulations to the Yudowski group !

Mechanisms of Biased β-Arrestin-Mediated Signaling Downstream from the Cannabinoid 1 Receptor. Delgado-Peraza F, Ahn KH, Nogueras-Ortiz C, Mungrue IN, Mackie K, Kendall DA, Yudowski GA.
Mol Pharmacol. 2016 Jun;89(6):618-29.

A collaboration between the Miller lab and Dr. Mohamed Habib, Theodor Bilharz Research Institute, Cairo Egypt, was recently awarded a grant from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.  The grant will provide three years of support for their project  “A Neurobiological Approach to Vector Control for Intestinal Schistosomiasis".